"But it's far more difficult for people trying to find work... what I have to do is convince people we're taking the right long-term decisions to deal with problems in our country that have existed for many years."

"We've got to strain every sinew to make sure we get our economy growing."

The UK is back in recession after figures from the Office for National Statistics showed a 0.2% contraction in the first three months of 2012, following the 0.3% negative growth seen in the final quarter of 2011.

That has triggered question-marks about the coalition government's economic policy of drastic spending cuts to eliminate the country's public spending deficit entirely.

Shadow chancellor Ed Balls is challenging George Osborne to a TV debate about the state of the economy.

"The government said we have got a plan, it will work, we will secure recovery, we will get unemployment down, we will get the deficit under control and on every one of those measures it has failed," Mr Balls told the Observer newspaper.

"In politics and especially in economics and politics, when things start to go wrong, the sooner you admit it the better.

"The thing that frustrates me is that for a year is how arrogantly George Osborne has said, 'No my plan will work – you are wrong', and we are a year on and it is now too late."

Mr Cameron insisted in an interview with BBC1's The Andrew Marr Show that the government would not change course, however.

"The figures this week were extremely disappointing... but I tell you what we absolutely mustn't do and that is throw away our plans for dealing with the debt, dealing with the deficit," he added.

"Because if we did that we'd lose the low interest rates we have, [which are] absolutely vital for recovery."

Mr Balls wants to "talk this through" with the government to underline the "big choices" Britain faces as ministers work out "how we get out of this very deep hole".